On The Whistle Podcast

Ryan Moon is one of South Africa’s finest young football talents, but few would know he was recruited by one of the country’s rugby powerhouses and given a high school scholarship for the sport. But instead of making it in rugby, he turned pro in football. In this pod we talk about his journey that's taken him to Kaizer Chiefs and now Europe where he's hit top form in Sweden. You won't believe it,...

It's been a dismal World Cup qualification campaign for Zimbabwe and in this podcast we take a deeper dive on why the team have performed so badly. Our guest this week is Marshall Gore, who is the CEO of Team Zimbabwe UK and also works with the national team from a recruitment perspective. He gives his candid views on what needs to change to reinvigorate the hapless Warriors. Host : Zayn Nabbi ( @...

In this show we talk about the greatest moments in African football. We look back with a great sense of pride and wonder on Cameroon's Indomitable Lions humbling Diego Maradona’s Argentina in 1990, Kenya’s looooong awaited return to the AFCON, Zambia’s famous triumph in 2012 and what about THAT goal scored by King George for AC Milan against Verona,   Panel: Zayn Nabbi ( @sportsguyzayn ), Fra...

It’s been 25 years since South Africa last lifted a major piece of silverware and in this show we hear from the man who captained the team to that momentous success Neil Tovey. Tovey reflects on the 1996 AFCON success, his conversations with Nelson Mandela, and gives his perspective on why he thinks Sundowns has surpassed Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in most aspects of performance.   &nb...

Former Kenya captain Musa Otieno opens up about what’s holding the Harambee Stars back for success on the international stage, his successful career in Cape Town, and how his foundation is focussing on youth development. Host: Courtney Freese (Former PSL winner) Guest: Musa Otieno (Former Kenya captain) WhatsAapp  Get in touch on WhatsApp - +447908 790 474 YouTube Watch us here - On The...

In this week’s episode we catch up with South African women’s coach Desiree Ellis to hear about her journey into football, goals for the national team, and the importance of professionalising the women’s game across the continent to stimulate the sport’s growth.   Host: Courtney Freese (Former PSL winner) Guest: Desiree Ellis (South African women’s coach) WhatsAapp  Get in touch on Whats...

In this bitesize edition we speak with former Kenyan captain Musa Otieno about his career highlights. The Harambee Stars legend talked about being on the field with “magician” Jay-Jay Okocha, and marking El Hadji Diouf at the 2004 AFCON, and we also hear about his love for Ugali. Look out for the full interview dropping in a few weeks.   Host: Courtney Freese  Guest: Musa Otieno (fo...

AmaZulu FC will break new ground when they debut in the CAF Champions League this season and the club’s ambitions owner Sandile Zungu is breathing fire into South Africa’s sleeping giant. Zungu has a bold vision to “dethrone” Sundowns in local football and he believes Usuthu, coached by Bafana legend Benni McCarthy, can be successful both inside and outside of the country’s borders.   &n...

In this episode Baroka FC owner Khurishi Mphahlele charts his team’s rapid rise up the South African football pyramid, which has seen the giant-killers earn promotion to Africa’s richest league in a short space of time. Their highlight so far being an unlikely win over Orlando Pirates in the 2018 Telkom Knockout Cup final. Hear from him how the team, who hail from the Limpopo province, are aiming...

The big talker this week is the club versus country row surrounding a travel ban impacting African and South American players. The big European teams do not want players to travel to red-listed countries, which have high coronavirus infection rates and as a result long periods of quarantining on return to their clubs. In this episode we discuss this controversial move that could see the likes of M...

In part two of our chat with Gavin Hunt, the South African mentor reflects on making Bidvest Wits title contenders, and how the demise of the Johannesburg football institution “destroyed” him and left him “heartbroken.” He also talks about the best players he’s ever coached, and how one of his former players Benni McCarthy has “overachieved” in the early stages of his fledgling coaching career. Co...

Four-time winning PSL coach Gavin Hunt is a throwback to the old school, and makes no bones about speaking his mind. In the first instalment of our two-parter the legendary South African coach opened up about a boot camp that paved the way for SuperSport United’s dynasty, why Kaizer Chiefs should be challenging Sundowns to win the league, and how he’s aiming to turn “water into wine” at his new jo...

It’s the dawn of the European football season and there are several African’s locked and loaded ahead of the start. In this episode we tell you about Zambia’s Patson Daka and how he has the potential to fill Dider Drogba’s boots, why Wilfred Ndidi is every manager’s dream, and how Saido Mane and Hakim Ziyech are primed to fire before heading to the AFCON in Cameroon.   Panel: Zayn Nabbi (host...

Simphiwe Dludlu is one of the smartest coaches and football analysts on the continent, and in this episode the former Banyana Banyana defender talks about the importance of empowering women, and providing a place for them to excel in the sport.   Host: Courtney Freese (Former PSL winner) Guests: Simphiwe Dludlu (former South Africa defender)   WhatsAapp  Get in touch on WhatsApp -&n...

We take a closer look at Malawi football and provide insight into how The Flames are lighting up the continent. We speak to Malawi’s Competitions and Communications Director of Football, Gome Zakazaka, as well as striker Richard Mbulu, who both give us insight into their secrets for success, which include their "lava-like" home turf, which makes it incredibly difficult for visiting teams.   C...

This week the pod is dropping earlier than usual as we review Al Ahly’s 3-0 drubbing of Kaizer Chiefs in the CAF Champions League final. We ask what next for Chiefs, and also talk about Pitso Mosimane’s legacy in the competition, and discuss where his coaching future may lie.    Panel: Zayn Nabbi (host), Courtney Freese (Former PSL winner), Francis Nkwain (African football expert), Loren...

We have a bonus episode for you coming out today, with Al Ahly’s two-time CAF Champions League winning coach Pitso Mosimane, who gives us the low down on his team’s prep for their showdown with Kaizer Chiefs in Casablanca. Hear how Pitso is plotting the “conservative” Soweto-giants downfall, just why he thought the Amakhosi wouldn’t make the final, and how his former boss Patrice Motsepe is his lu...

In this bitesize edition we speak to South Africa’s legendary former captain Neil Tovey about his career highlights, love of football, and hear what is was like playing against icons like Jomo Sono, Ronaldo and Thierry Henry. This taster is just to whet your appetite before the full pod drops in the coming weeks. Host: Courtney Freese, @otw_pod Guest: Neil Tovey (South African legend), @TheNeilTov...

As we build up to Tokyo 2020 we speak with South African under 23 coach David Notoane about the chances of the Amaglug-glug against the hosts, Mexico and World Cup champions France. Due to the pandemic the team has had limited preparation and Notoane gives us insight into the team's goals at the tournament, and how FIFA rules have allowed Brighton not to release his star player Perc...

In part 2 of our interview with Nedbank Cup winning coach Dylan Kerr we hear about his thoughts on AmaZulu’s resurgence under Benni McCarthy, Pitso Mosimane being Bafana’s ideal coach and we get his thoughts on social media abuse.   Co-hosts: Zayn Nabbi ( @sportsguyzayn ) and Courtney Freese ( @otw_pod ) Guest: Dylan Kerr (TTM coach, former Leeds United player)   WhatsAapp  Get in t...

In this episode we speak one of the biggest characters involved in South African football, Dylan Kerr, who is currently the head coach of Nedbank Cup winners Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila F.C. (TTM). Kerr pulls no punches in the first instalment of our two-part interview as he recalls his highlights about playing at Leeds United with Howard Wilkinson and Eric Cantona, his secrets to success, and ex...

In this bitesize edition we have a quick-fire interview with former Bafana Bafana defender Matthew Booth, who talks about his love of the game, his closest football friends, and what he would love his legacy to be one day. Co-hosts: Zayn Nabbi and Courtney Freese Guest: Matthew Booth (Former South African defender) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second part of our interview with South African football icon Marks Maponyane, the former Bafana marksman talks about his move into commentating, how the women's national team have become the country's pride, and just why former Manchester United player Eddie Lewis meant so much to him as a coach. Host:  Courtney Freese, former PSL winner ( otw_podcast ) Guest:  Marks Maponyane, f...

In this episode Courtney Freese speaks with a true icon of South African football, Marks Maponyane. The former Bafana striker talks about his experiences of playing for both Soweto giants, captaining Orlando Pirates to the CAF Champions League title, and he explains why Kaizer Chiefs need to become a force in Africa. Enjoy the first instalment of our sit down with Marks. Host: Court...

It was an emotionally charged atmosphere in Atteridgeville where Al Ahly secured a 1-1 draw with Sundowns, to ensure they progress to the CAF CL semis 3-1 on aggregate. In this episode we look back at all the drama around the game that saw a faction of Sundowns fans hurl insults and abuse at their former coach Pitso Mosimane, as the Red Devils team bus was accosted en route to the game in scenes t...